Homecoming
by Elsewhere-Kels
Summary: Nothing's changed, and yet somehow it has. It's a strange thought, thinking of home as something to adjust to. SoRiku.
1. What Counts

Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't still be living at home. XD Even though my mom is awesome. (But she keeps making me lose the Game!) Disney and Squeenix own at least one part of my soul, though.

--

The first days back were filled with tears, laughter, contentment and at times a strange giddy happiness that would grab hold of Riku's breath and squeeze tight. He would take a moment to close his eyes and force himself to exhale, to remind himself that when he opened them it would all still be there. Sora's laughter, Kairi's teasing grin... his mother's half disbelieving eyes that would shimmer occasionally with tears of relief.

"I thought my mom was gonna ground me for the rest of life once she remembered to be angry with me!" Sora laughed, not bothering to hide the touch of guilt that plagued him when he actually thought about the fact that _they'd been gone for two years_. "I think she kind of understood, though... Dad said he was surprised she didn't just to keep me around every day."

"They're getting better, though, right?" Kairi asked cheerily. "After all, you guys have been back for a week, now!"

If Riku were less of a coward, he would ask her how his mother had faired that second year. He felt even worse for the fact that he couldn't truly regret it, not when he'd felt the desperation that crawled under his skin as hours, days, months passed. They observed the progression of Sora's exile inside that pod with a frigid disregard that sometimes drove Riku's blood to boil.

In that time, he would've done (and did) almost anything to see those smiling eyes again.

"Yeah! It's going really great. The only difference is that my mom comes into my room to wake me up, now, instead of just calling me." Sora explained, and his smile was indulgent. Riku could tell that he understood his mother's actions in a way the old Sora wouldn't be able to. Back when he'd never lost anything. Once you had there was always a tiny fear in the back of your heart that never really went away. Some people could get past it and some... got stuck. "What about you, Riku? How did your mom take everything?" Sora asked, his voice curious yet softer than usual as he took in Riku's melancholy stance.

Riku ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "She's doing her best. I... really hurt her, y'know?" Along with everyone else.

"Hey." Riku didn't look up at first as the warm hand, rough with calluses, came to rest on his shoulder. He simply soaked in the sensation. "It couldn't be helped. But you came back with us. We're home, now. That's what counts." The warmth of that hand seemed to reflect itself in everything Riku saw as he took in his surroundings once again. He smiled.

"Yeah."

-

For at least the first few mornings Sora and Riku both took a little longer to actually meet up with everyone. There wasn't anything quite like lounging in bed for an extra half-hour or taking an extra long shower or just taking a little time to enjoy the quiet (but not silence, never silence) and think about nothing. Saying good morning to their parents mattered now in a way it hadn't before.

Sora was always relieved when, on the mornings he woke up with a certain problem, he didn't have to worry about Donald and Goofy. Not that he didn't miss them or anything, but he definitely hadn't wanted them around the one time it had happened while they were still journeying ("NOTHING'S WRONG." Squeaked the voice belonging to the spiky-headed blur that had just zoomed behind the bathroom door. He didn't come out for a long while.) and he certainly didn't now, as it became a more and more common occurrence.

He'd felt so awkward going to his dad about it, but it was a much better option than when he'd briefly considered asking Leon about it that first time. The thought of that still made Sora cringe. He'd been too young for the subject to come up 'Before', and he had the feeling he'd missed a bit during that year.

Riku hadn't been in any better of a position except for the fact that he'd had no one to hide from. He figured things out the best he could from the sparse knowledge he'd already had. All he knew for sure was that all his feelings, as always, grew stronger the closer Sora was to him. This was just a physical manifestation of it all. Some mornings were just like that.

-

There were nights he would awaken, sweat-soaked and tear-stained, his lip stinging where he'd bitten down so hard to hold in screams. Sometimes it was simply him, lost in the darkness with no one and no way out. Those weren't the worst ones, though. The worst were the nights when his imagination took the reins. In his unconscious mind he was far too weak, helpless to the darkness as he watched Sora scream in pain, his eyes wide and horrifically comical in their shock as the life was stolen from him in a single breath. Only moments before he'd been fighting, making snide remarks with that deep resolve that had only deepened with time passed. Now as his lids squeezed shut in pain and his expelled a final, gurgling breath, he fell away into a darkness Riku only wished he could reach.

But he couldn't do anything. Not even call out. His mind screamed the name over and over... Sora. Sora! SoraSoraSoraSORA!

The first night Sora was awakened by Riku in this distraught state, his voice was groggy as he spoke.

"Riku? What are you doing here?" He eyes roved over his panting friend, crinkling with worry at the desperation he found. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

Riku shook his head and his fingers twitched on Sora's skin. It was then that Sora realized he was trembling faintly. "...Riku?"

"Sora..." Riku rasped and his voice sounded scratchy but from what, Sora wasn't sure. "I just..."

_Needed to see you alive._

Some part of Sora seemed to understand and he simply covered Riku's hand with his own and nodded. "It's okay." He whispered.

The air sizzled with emotion neither could define as Riku leaned forward and pulled Sora flush to his body. Sora easily returned the embrace and closed his eyes until Riku pulled back a few moments later. Any confusion was quickly waved away by hormones and sensation as strangly elegant pale hands roved over his face, neck, shoulders and back. The hands lingered where flesh met flesh and Sora's breath caught halfway in his throat.

Riku made sure to check and memorize everything, his thumbs trailing feather-light over dark lids and lashes, hands cupping smooth cheeks. Breathing became a bigger task for both of them as he brushed Sora's lips and they opened slightly on instinct. Riku closed his eyes and shuddered as he felt the hot, damp breath that escaped Sora.

The part of Riku's mind that had been trapped, replaying that image of a younger Sora over and over again, snapped to the present. Riku ran a hand through that stupid hair and marveled at how soft it was despite it's shape. His other palm smoothed down Sora's neck and kissed his collar bone, shoulder blades, and then trailed down his spine to rest against his lower back.

Sora sighed and nearly hummed his name as his eyes opened slowly. They seemed to struggle against the sluggishness of sleep and the gentle minstrations and rested in a half-lidded state. "Riku."

Riku wondered if he would get punched if he called Sora "beautiful." He wanted to anyways. Some part of him still feared those eyes filled with rejection, though, so for now he only replied in kind. It came out in a moan as he rested his forehead against the other's, millimeters away from a kiss. "Sora." SoraSoraSoraSora.

Those nights began with fear, but quickly transformed into heat, curiousity, laughter, and something yet unnamable.

Sora never asked, and Riku never explained.

-

"Wow, Sora! What an amazing adventure!" Selphie gushed as Sora inevitably wrapped up the tale of their adventure, leaving a few choice things out and skimming over some parts.

"Where were you in all of this, though, Riku?" Tidus piped up, again, inevitably. "I mean, I know that you helped close that "door to darkness" thing, but where were you before that?"

Riku's smirk was dark in a way they didn't comprehend. After all, he smirked a lot anyways. "I was on the other side."

"Of the door, yeah, but where were you before that?"

Sora nudged Riku gently and quickly replied, "He found Kairi before I did, so he was looking for a way to wake her up."

Selphie gasped. "Because her heart was missing, right? Where did you find it?"

"It turned out it was locked inside my heart all along! That's why I sometimes heard and saw her when I was traveling. I had to release it with a keyblade." Sora grinned easily. Riku's stomach turned at how casually he said it, but of course Sora was still Sora. And he didn't want to freak the others out.

"Kairi was inside you? That sounds a little wrong, man." Wakka leered good naturedly. He was quick to lift his hands in defense and laugh as Kairi wacked him upside the head.

"Don't be such a pervert!"

After Selphie was finished glaring at Wakka she turned to Sora again, eyes wide and earnest while Tidus high-fived the red head.

"That must have been so freaky! Weren't you worried that the keyblade would turn you into a heartless?"

"A little, but Kairi's worth it. Plus it all worked out!" Sora evaded the truth very smoothly.

"Oh my gosh, that's so sweet Kairi!" And they were back to gushing. Kairi smiled back at Selphie in response. Sora was the only one who understood the melancholy mood that hung over his two friends, now.

"Yeah." Sora nodded and suddenly flopped backward, pillowing his head in his arms as he slumped onto Riku's right leg and took a moment to meet his eyes meaningfully. Riku, who had refrained from meeting anyone's eyes for the past couple minutes and had become increasingly dark tempered, gasped very softly in surprise and his gaze turned rather sheepish as it met Sora's. "We were real lucky. Things could've turned out a lot differently. _But they didn't_, so everything's good!" Once Sora was certain that he'd gotten his message through to Riku, he turned his eyes to Kairi. She was already grinning back at him - watching him convince their stubborn friend was enough for her.

Wakka, Tidus and Selphie all paused a little at the position. Wakka quickly brushed it off as a Sora thing, but Selphie sent Kairi a searching look and Tidus furrowed his brow in thought.

Even still, no one said anything as the conversation moved on with Sora remaining exactly where he was, and Riku didn't tell him when his leg fell asleep.

--

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and I also, as always, hope you review. ^_^ Part 2 coming soon.


	2. All the Time

Disclaimer: Still don't own it. KH and its sequels (ASDFLJHGS 358/2 DAYS come out in Engliiiish~!) belong to Disney and Square Enix.

Side-note: I was listening to "Empty Spaces" by SR-71 on repeat while writing this. It's an AWESOME SoraxRiku song. I highly recommend it while you're reading this, or just in general. It's easy to place their two povs with the different sections of the song.

I think I might make a video with it if I ever figure out Final Cut Express.

Enjoy!

--

"I don't get it." Sora murmured sleepily into Riku's stomache. The taller boy had taken to curling around Sora in a half-protective shell even though he knew perfectly well that the shorter could take care of himself.

It made Sora's stomach twist pleasantly. He knew Riku would go home before sunrise, but they still had time.

"Hmm?" Riku acknowledged, not turning his attention away from Sora's chestnut spikes, running his fingers through deftly, taking care and gently loosening any tangles he found. Sora really had the worst bed-head.

"It's just... I always thought that the way I felt about Kairi was supposed to be the way I feel about you." Sora explained absentmindedly, the feeling of pleasure and grogginess making him less mindful of Riku's insecurity. It could actually be a problem sometimes, the fact that he felt most at ease with his silver-haired friend. "Like... when Belle and Beast were having their party. When I imagined dancing with Kairi like that, it made me happy." Sora frowned, "But the kinds of things we do... I definitely don't want to do with her. That'd just be weird."

"...Aw, c'mon, Sora. Are you saying you don't want to dance with me?" The words were teasing, but the tone of voice was stilted and Sora finally recognized that Riku's hand stilling in his hair was the other reason for his frown. He sighed and shifted upwards from where he rested against Riku, playing with the ties of his pajama bottoms, and glared tellingly at the other.

"Hey, now!" Sora protested as he blew a rasberry into Riku's belly button punishingly, grinning as it elicited the satisfying indignant squawk he'd hoped for. "Of course not, Riku. Besides," his tone turned sly as he flopped back down into his previous position, "we dance together all the time."

Riku expelled an incredulous snort, but his hands returned to smoothing Sora's hair almost of their own accord and the tension had left his body. "When? We're not really a 'dancing' pair."

Sora hummed contentedly. "Shhh. Sleepy, now."

"You're avoiding the question."

"Can't help it, I'm asleeeep."

Riku glared fondly. "Doofus." His voice was soft and disarming, and the last of their words faded into quiet touches that eventually _did_ lull Sora to sleep.

-

"Sometimes I kind of wish things could go back to the way they were before, you know?" Selphie commented idly to Kairi one day as they scoured the shore for shells. Kairi had actually begun making jewelry and accessories out of them in her spare time, and whenever she went to search for more she would invite her cheery friend. Selphie was almost always up for a trip to the island, unless she was going on a not-date with Wakka.

Kairi paused to bend over and retrieve a curly shell and tilted her head to the side as she tried to discern what Selphie was getting at. Giving up, she simply asked. "How do you mean?"

Selphie took a moment to take in the sun which was just beginning to set, as though pondering how to phrase her response. "Well, when we were all younger we were really close. I mean, you, Sora, and Riku were always together a little more than we all were, but still. Now it's like they're always talking about something I'm not meant to understand. Even you get like that a little bit, sometimes. It's just too bad - I don't think that me and the others will ever be as close friends to them as we used to be."

Kairi understood completely, and probably more than even Selphie understood. She nodded in agreement. "That's true. In a way, they've always been like that. It's just stronger now. What they went through made them figure out a lot of stuff." Kairi sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. "It used to bother me." She admitted with some guilt. "I wanted Sora to myself. But he never looked at me like he looked at Riku. I don't think he even knew." She bent again and dusted some sand out of the crevices of another shell.

"I always thought that you and Sora would end up getting married." Selphie admitted with a bit of a pout. After all, this is Selphie, and what little girl (for they had been so much younger, then) doesn't imagine the perfect wedding for her best girl friend?

"I used to think about it." Kairi nodded and then laughed, amused by her own silliness. In her crush-oriented mind it had been easy to get carried away. "But I think I'm happy with how it is now. We're finally all together again, and Sora and Riku are happier than I've ever seen them. I think I just want to be part of their happiness."

Selphie grinned. This declaration seemed to brighten her mood greatly. "Yeah! That's good enough. Ooh, this one's so shiny! Here, Kairi." Kairi smiled.

"Thanks, Selph. You don't have to give me every one you find, though, didn't you used to have a collection?" Selphie waved the suggestion off.

"Nah, you actually do stuff with the ones you find. Just make me something pretty every once in a while, kay?" She grinned and Kairi laughed as she added the shimmering shell to her pouch, nodded in affirmation.

"...So Sora and Riku. Are they really together-together?" Curiousity finally got the best of the brown-eyed girl.

"I'm pretty sure. They're kind of transparent to me anyways." Kairi replied with a chuckle. She shrugged at Selphie. "Guess we'll see."

Selphie nodded in understanding and tiptoed a little further out to retrieve a shimmer she spotted just under the tide. "Do you think Tidus has noticed?"

"If he has I can't tell. He's more private and tactful than he used to be. And how come you didn't ask about Wakka? Does he know?"

"Pffft." Selphie rolled her eyes and grinned. "Are you kidding? Wakka has no clue. He probably wouldn't notice unless he walked in on them or something."

-

Even in the day time, Sora and Riku spent more time with just the two of them. In the past it was not uncommon for them to spar with the others, but now they avoided that. It was easier to get more serious about it without stirring worries that it was an actual fight. In addition, sometimes their spars deteriorated into more private things. It would just be awkward if that happened. It was really so much more than it was when they were kids.

Way to Dawn and Oblivion clashed together again and again. Flesh brushed flesh and there was an occasional wince every time a glancing blow was landed, but both boys were grinning through the sweat, eyes glinting with a type of satisfaction the others never saw. It was unlikely that even Kairi would recognize it. The high of a battle. Even as gentle-hearted as Sora was, he couldn't deny the racing of his heart and the surge of adrenaline that would pump through him as he only just dodged a sweep from the deep red keyblade. It was a beautiful give and take of guard and attack, and as often as they could chance it either boy would let their fingers brush along what they knew was a sensitive area. Sora actually had a thing about his stomach and waist, and Riku was particularly vulnerable to sensation in the hollow of skin just under where his jaw met his earlobe. In fact Sora was attempting to do just that when Riku spotted a hole in his guard and quickly took the opportunity to knock Sora down.

Before Riku could follow up his move, though, Sora swept his feet from under him and just as he recognized that the wind had been knocked out of him, Sora dove.

Sora's win this time. Within 5 seconds he had gone from flat on his back to being knelt over a fallen Riku, knee keeping pressure on his chest to keep him down and keyblade poised across his jugular. For a while the world was soundless but for their heavy breathing. And the Oblivion was lifted away from Riku's neck as Sora grinned, as close as he usually got to a smirk, and leaned down to blow slowly on an aformentioned sensitive area. The cold breath on Riku's sweat-soaked skin left him a shuddering mass as Sora whispered into his ear. "See? I _told_ you we dance together all the time."

Everything was still.

Sora jumped up and dispelled Oblivion as he casually turned away and toward the duffel bag holding their swim trunks and towels.

Oh, god, no.

"Come on, lets get changed! I wanna swim off all this sweat."

_Sora_...!

Sora was so busy 'being nonchalant' that he didn't recognize Riku's approach until it was too late, and with a flip of the world he was over Riku's shoulder.

"You'll pay for that." Riku growled, half-playfully and half-lustfully.

"Riku! No!" Sora almost shrieked with laughter (because boys don't shriek, of course) as he was carried closer and closer to the water's edge. "Come on, I was kidding! Riku!"

"No way, Sora! You're going down!"

"Maybe later - NO, wait - wait! Okay, I'm sorry! Really! Rikuuuu!"

And Sora plopped straight down into the water, clothes, shoes and all with a very satisfying splash.

--

Thank you for reading, (and if you review, double thank yous for you!) I hope it entertained. Part 3 is currently in the works, and I hope everyone is looking forward to it as much as I am. :)

Take care!

Kelska


	3. Long Gone

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I am but a witness to the awesomeness. And somewhat a participant. "Come on, Sora, JUMP already!"

This chapter is dedicated to hitomi_bore on lj, because she sent me some really uplifting reviews which encouraged me to get off my butt to write this chapter! Thank you!

--

Riku has several metaphorical lists in his head. One tallies his mother's smiles in a day. Sometimes he has to change it to a week to make it less disappointing. One tallies his and Sora's score - which is significantly more even now than when they were younger, and perhaps even a bit one-sided going the other way. Another one kept track of all the strangest outbursts or realizations that came to Sora in the midst of lingering moans and trailing toes along muscled calves. They were so unbelievable that Riku had begun keeping mental records.

1. "RIKU! I totally ruined the moment!" Or actually, _two_ moments, one more recent, but Sora had been referring to "Belle" and "the Beast" again. Riku resigned himself to listening to the story as Sora lifted his hand away from his hipbone to smack himself in the face. Which, of course, got sand in his eyes and made them water. So as Sora's story wound down and he scrunched his nose, not-pouting, Riku made all the right noises and kissed the salty droplets away.

2. "EWW. Roxas!" And at this point Sora had jumped entirely away from him, face screwing up in disgust. Riku frowned and shifted on the mattress, watching with fascination and not a small amount of uncertainty as Sora's face flitted through the expressive reactions to a conversation he couldn't hear. Disgusted, surprised, sad, guilty, apologetic, depressed, frustrated, and hundreds of other things too fast or too out-of-context for Riku to identify. Sora met Riku's eyes for the first time in minutes and it made Riku's stomach squirm to see Sora's jaw clamp down in the refusal to cry. And even then the guilt dragged him back down. Sora soon crawled back into bed where they spent the rest of the night curled around each other. They were motionless but for the soothing habits of their hands; they were soundless but for the hoarse whispers in Sora's mind. And Riku had not seen the ghost of a certain redheaded jester but he knew what haunted them now. Or rather, what haunted _him_. Half of Sora, yet _not_ Sora in any way. That night began in laughter and drifted off into sorrow.

3. "COMPLICATED!" Riku was particularly frustrated this time because Sora was on top of him doing _such_ amazing things and there was certainly nothing complicated about it. This explained his particularly flat tone and face as he spoke.

"What the hell, Sora?" Sora's eyes crinkled with amusement and at least _some_ real remorse, so Riku felt a little more forgiving.

"Sorry, Riku, it's just... that's the word I was trying to think of earlier! When I was talking to my dad! It just popped into my head, fully formed!"

"Good." Riku growled, but it was a little too breathy and wanton to carry any proper threat. "But... if we could stay on task, here?"

A little while later, Riku's incredulous voice burst into the silence. "You couldn't think of the word '_complicated'_?"

Riku was fairly certain that this list was not anywhere near finished. Then there was the one that wasn't so much a list as a constant stream of thought:

Sora's eyes shine brightest just before sunset. Sora's stupid hair takes much longer to soak than Riku's, and when it is it makes him look like a drowned rat. Sora's favourite ice cream used be vanilla, but now it's Sea-Salt. Sora does his best to avoid being alone. Sora gets upset when they talk about the Nobodies. Sora doesn't notice Riku's guilt when he talks to Roxas. Sora talks to Kairi in a way he can't with Riku because she has Namine. Sora is the easiest to catch off-guard when Riku smiles at him. Sora can't handle his mom's tears. Sora has a ridiculously big keyring for his keychains. Sora sometimes stares at Bond of Flames for a long time, but he never summons it. Sora is worried about school starting soon. Sora needs to find Riku when it storms. Sora's whole hand twitches when Riku squeezes the hollow between his thumb and pointer finger. Sora's smile makes everything better.

Riku is long gone. But it's okay. He knows it.

-

Only 4 days before the school term starts, they receive a summons from King Mickey - Donald and Goofy arrive to pick them up in the gummi ship. Sora's laughter rings clear as he rushes to meet them, but his eyes carry the same fear as Kairi's - that they must leave this life behind for another long, long time. They are assured that it is not that kind of summons, at least not at this point.

The three friends agree to tell their parents that they are going to camp out on the island for the last days of summer. This was true anyways, except that they'd only planned on going for the last two nights. Selphie, Tidus and Wakka all agreed to go early without them so that their parents could see the smoke rising from the fire in the evenings.

Even as Riku gave this perfectly reasonable explanation and packed a small bag with a few necessities, he grimaced as he eyed his mother in his periphery, biting her lip and wringing her hands. It was him that initiated the hug, but she held so tight and so fast that he almost felt the air fly from him.

"I _love_ you. You hear me? So much. So... be careful out there." She was shorter than him, now. His eyes burned and he wasn't quite sure why. He squeezed her back, more gently, and leaned back as soon as he was able to to kiss her cheek.

"I love you, too. I'll be careful. And I promise I'll come back. 4 days, tops."

"Okay, honey. Have fun on your camping trip." It was kind of her to pretend, even if she was pretending for herself, too.

-

King Mickey was delighted by their arrival, but was quick to shush loud greetings. "It's wonderful to see you all again." He whispered.

"You too, your majesty, but..." Sora scratched the back of his head and shrugged one shoulder helplessly as he bent forward to speak on King Mickey's level, "Why are we whispering?" Riku noted that King Mickey looked torn, then, but by what, he had no clue.

"Gosh, Sora..." King Mickey sighed and crossed his arms. "How to explain this..."

Riku watched while Kairi waited patiently, and Sora became more and more antsy with the wait. Riku poked Sora in the shoulder with his thumb, because at King Mickey's height, that was the less obvious movement than nudging his foot with his. As soon as Sora's eyes met his Riku couldn't help but smile as he mouthed 'Be patient.'

Sora "frowned enthusiastically", because apparently he did _not_ pout.

"Welp, maybe I oughta just show you." King Mickey piped up decisively, clearly reaching a conclusion as Sora jumped and the mouse king turned and hurried off into a room down the hall, waving behind him for them to follow. "Come on!" Despite his apparent rush, King Mickey stopped them at the door. "Wait here and be sure to stay quiet. Minnie and I just got them all to sleep."

As King Mickey turned back into the room and left the door open just a crack, the three friends exchanged bewildered glances. After about a minute of the sounds of rustling fabric and padding footfalls, heavier on the return trip, the King exited the room and shut the door gently behind him before carefully holding out what he'd retrieved for Sora to take as six eyes stared wide.

"Be very careful - he's very tired and only just fallen asleep. I figured you'd need to see to believe."

Sora couldn't answer, his throat had closed up. As tears that didn't belong to him rolled down his cheeks and splashed into flaming red hair and onto reverse tear-shaped birthmarks, Kairi's hands had lifted to cover her mouth. Riku heard it anyways, however muffled: "Oh my God."

Despite the King's warnings and Sora's careful embrace, the cool, damp tears were quickly met with fluttering eyelids and a whimpering mouth. Riku's heart trembled as emerald green eyes blinked open and squinted in the harsh light as 14-month-old Axel quivered: "Wokas?" And upon seeing who it really was, he emitted a miserable, keening wail.

--

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! :)

I'd really appreciate any feedback anyone has. It helps me get ideas for the next chapter! Which is coming soon.

Take care!

Kelska


	4. Until I Wake

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix.

This chapter is dedicated to Faifruit/duokinneas. Thank you for all your support and encouragement! Your reviews always bring a smile to my face. Also, it highlights Namine and Kairi, which I know you've been looking forward to. 3

--

Sora was panicking and he knew it. Between the shrieking, flailing creature that used its tiny palms to push away from the brunette and launch its body backwards with all its might and a tumult of mixed feelings inside, both his own and his other's, Sora could only cling for dear life to the baby. His foggy blue eyes squeezed shut as he clamped his arms around the tiny body that only screamed louder, terror, rage, and sadness permeating his cries and poisoning the once peaceful calm of the castle. Sora couldn't really think of anything clearly except for the mental image of little Axel succeeding in his escape attempts only to crack his skull sickeningly against the hard marble flooring.

Riku was, sadly, just as much at a loss as to how to handle this situation. He could only move closer to Sora and his fingers curled with the need to touch him, to comfort him, but he didn't know what would happen. Part of him realized what was happening - it wasn't Sora who was falling apart at the seams, but a nervous breakdown was bubbling over inside of him. Riku barely caught the King's exclamation as he rushed back into the room, which seemed to be echoing the cries from the hallway.

When Kairi's hand firmly grasped Sora's shoulder Riku was overbalanced by the most disturbing urge to roughly strike her away. His shock overpowered this frightening, animalistic idea as he realized that it really wasn't Kairi anymore. Her hair remained red, her appearance remained static, yet he knew Namine very well. This was not Kairi.

"Namine?" Sora exclaimed, and his voice was worryingly ragged with escalating breaths. Not-Kairi nodded quickly but she was in a greater hurry to move on to the matter at hand.

"Sora. Put Axel down. It's all right." To Riku's confusion, she knelt on the floor before Sora. His curiousity was appeased when a great amount of tension released from Sora's body and he bent to very carefully place the squalling infant onto the floor. Namine's arms quickly flew around him as he thrust his body backwards, still immersed in desperation. Axel, small limbs gangly for a baby and cheeks red and streaming from screaming, quickly stumbled into Namine's arms.

He shrieked, "NO!" Namine hissed as Kairi's fingers slowly began swelling with burns and pudgy feet smacked against the marble as Axel slumped against the wall and continue to weep miserably, still loud but now in that lingering manner which Kairi assured her needed to be waited out. So she crossed her legs and scooted nearer to the redhead, though not near enough to touch him. The small voice cried out, "No!" again, but he didn't shift his body further away.

-

Riku registered Namine coaxing the child in some absent corner of his mind, but right now all he could see was Sora, gasping for air and frowning deeply as he stumbles from a kneel into a sitting position, lifting a hand to hold his in pain.

For once Riku's enfolding arms could not provide the relief he'd hoped for. As his legs fold beneath the crook of Sora's knees the shorter boy looks up at him, eyes blurry with pain and flashing a paler blue every other moment.

"Riku. I can't..." _Breathe. Think. See you clearly. Stay awake._ "I'm..." _Scared. Sorry (you're freaking out on the inside, aren't you?)._

Riku had no idea why he was swallowing, for it seemed a pointless endeavor when all his organs had dropped into his knees. He smoothed the seams along Sora's sweaty brow and began massaging his temple soothingly. "Shh. It's gonna be all right." The words tasted like ash in his mouth. He was never sure about things the way Sora could be. But right now he had to pretend. "Close your eyes. We'll take care of things from here."

Sora reached up and turned Riku's hand into his own. "Keep it together... till I wake up, kay?"

Riku's smile was rather crooked. "Duh." But Sora's eyes were already shut. If Riku watched closely, he could see Roxas' thoughts, roiling beneath Sora's eyelids.

-

"Riku, may I have a potion for Kairi's hands, please?" He envied her for her calm demeanor, and wondered how much of it was a farce as he retrieved one and tossed it to her.

Only Sora knew that Riku had never stopped keeping them on him. When Riku had asked the inevitable 'what about you', Sora had only shrugged and replied: "I have you with me, right? No problem." And Riku had covered that promising mouth with his, more eloquent than his words could be.

"Thank you." Ever polite, Namine still downed the substance in one swig. Riku grinned. This efficiency and confidence was a side of her that Sora hadn't seen (though, of course, he didn't remember anything he'd seen), and Roxas had only glimpsed.

Now Namine moved closer to Axel, and paused as the tiny form shrank slightly. "Axel, I'm going to touch you, now. Okay?" Axel only continued to whimper.

Namine slowly lifted him into her lap, and when tiny fists lifted to rub his eyes and close himself up further, the girl embraced him tightly. "Shh. You're all right. It's Namine, I've got you now."

Slowly, Axel's hands fisted again, one around the fabric of the neckline of her shirt, and the other around a lock of coppery hair. Namine winced slightly and adjusted his grip further down the strand so that it didn't tug as Axel burried his wet face in the crook of her neck, hiccuping. "That's right, Axel. You're fine, now."

As she met Riku's eyes across the hall, they both laughed a tiny bit, the absurdity of their positions not lost on them. Namine watched as the humour quickly died in Riku's face, leaving it brittle with only the weight of uncertainty to hold it up.

"Riku, he'll be fine. Roxas lost control and couldn't keep himself separate for a while. Sora's mind just wasn't prepared for it."

Riku deflated with relief. Then, he remembered something: "Does Kairi know?"

Namine nodded and smiled reassuringly. "I've already explained it to her." As she turned her attention to patting Axel's back soothingly, there was a period of silence, and then a startled gasp.

It took a bit for him to tear his eyes away from Sora's sleeping face. "What?"

Namine stared at him. "I can feel his heartbeat."

--

Sorry for the shortness! I'm going to try and make chapter 5 longer.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! ^^

Love,

Kelska


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